About
Jeffrey Li, Cello
Cellist, technologist, and entrepreneur Jeff Li began his musical studies at age 4 playing the piano, before switching to the cello at age 9. A native of Los Angeles, Jeff made his soloist debut at age 13 playing the Dvorak Cello Concerto, and by 15 had performed several other major cello works accompanied by orchestras throughout the greater Los Angeles area. Jeff has since has given numerous concerts at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. He regularly collaborates on stage with award-winning musicians across multiple genres from classical to jazz, rap to rock, with performances heard by many of the world’s most prominent figures and leaders.
Jeff completed his Bachelor of Music degree at Northwestern University and his Master of Music degree at The Juilliard School. His primary teachers were Hans Jørgen Jensen and Richard Aaron, with whom he also studied at the Aspen Music Festival and School. His primary instrument is a c. 1790 English cello, and bows by Andre Richaume, Emmanuel Begin, and Evan Orman.
Jeff additionally earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from Northwestern, and has held past software development positions at Microsoft Corporation and Google Inc. Presently, Jeff is the co-founder and CTO of Zocal Inc., a popular location sharing service between Android and iOS platforms, and serves as the Executive Director of Young Artists Foundation, a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating the next generation of rising classical musicians.